Fragrance comparison

Shades of Darkness vs Tabac Exquis (2021)

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 10 Oct 2026 391 ratings analysed

2 wins

Shades of Darkness

Nimere Parfums

3.007 votes

Rank #58,851 AmberWoody

Full profile Similar & dupes

32%scent match

Clearly different

Tabac Exquis (2021)

Caron

4.46384 votes

Rank #2,507 Warm SpicyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories.

Shades of Darkness
Choose it for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear.
Tabac Exquis (2021)
Choose it for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Shades of Darkness2/3

Tabac Exquis (2021)1/3

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Shades of Darkness
Sillage & projection: Shades of Darkness
Value for money: Not scored
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Tabac Exquis (2021)

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

Shades of DarknessNimere Parfums

Tabac Exquis (2021)Caron

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.00/ 5 · 7 votes

Have 6%Had 9%Want 85%

4.46/ 5 · 384 votes

Have 83%Had 17%Want 0%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

14%Love

29%Like

0%Ok

57%Dislike

0%Hate

7 votes · too few to score

60%Love

30%Like

7%Ok

3%Dislike

1%Hate

384 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity87

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate50

⏱ Longevity70

〰 Sillage54

♥ Love / hate86

Category winners

LongevityShades of Darkness

SillageShades of Darkness

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price valueN/A

¤ Price value41

Category winnerNot enough dataBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

amber100%

woody92%

warm spicy84%

green77%

aromatic69%

powdery61%

warm spicy100%

amber91%

sweet83%

cacao74%

tobacco65%

vanilla56%

Scent match32%Clearly different · both amber and warm spicy

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top

GalbanumCarnationArtemisiaFig LeafBlack currant leafBergamotNutmegSaffron

Heart

Ylang-YlangNarcissusJasmineIrisTobaccoChampacaVioletNeroli

Base

IncenseTolu BalsamCivetCastoreumAmbergrisCedarVetiverBenzoin

Top15-30 mins

Cinnamon

Heart2-4 hrs

TobaccoDark ChocolateIrisMyrrhLabdanumJasmine

Base6-9 hrs

Cacao PodTonka BeanBenzoinAmbroxanOlibanum

InformationalShared notesJasmine, Iris, Tobacco and Benzoin. Durations are only published for Tabac Exquis (2021), so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer33

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night50

Spring31

Summer11

Fall0

Winter100

Day42

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Not enough votes yet

Men19

Unisex59

Women22

Date 41%Casual 26%Party 17%Work 16%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#58,851

PerfumerNikolay Eremin

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#2,507

PerfumerJean Jacques

Launched—

Reviews64

Category winnerTabac Exquis (2021)Higher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Shades of Darkness is a dense, vintage-leaning oriental fragrance that moves from sharp galbanum greens to a deep, animalic, and resinous base. Launched in 2015, this composition offers a complex journey for those who appreciate old-school, heavy, and artistic perfumery suitable for cold weather evenings or formal aut…

Reviews →

Tabac Exquis (2021) by Caron strips away the harsh smoke often found in traditional tobacco scents, replacing it with a rich, melted dark chocolate and powdery iris core. You smell raw cinnamon bark immediately upon spraying. Within ten minutes, warm cacao pod and balsamic myrrh soften the edges, turning the aroma int…

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Shades of Darkness or Tabac Exquis (2021)?

Shades of Darkness takes 2 of 3 categories. Shades of Darkness is rated 3.00/5 from 7 votes; Tabac Exquis (2021) is rated 4.46/5 from 384 votes. Choose Shades of Darkness for a amber and woody character. Wins on longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring, daytime wear. Choose Tabac Exquis (2021) for a warm spicy and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Shades of Darkness or Tabac Exquis (2021)?

Shades of Darkness lasts longest (Shades of Darkness 87/100, Tabac Exquis (2021) 70/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Shades of Darkness or Tabac Exquis (2021)?

Shades of Darkness projects furthest (Shades of Darkness 72/100, Tabac Exquis (2021) 54/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Shades of Darkness and Tabac Exquis (2021) smell similar?

Clearly different: a 32% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share amber and warm spicy accords. Common notes include Jasmine, Iris, Tobacco and Benzoin.

Is Shades of Darkness or Tabac Exquis (2021) better for summer or winter?

Shades of Darkness suits daytime wear; Tabac Exquis (2021) suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Shades of Darkness and Tabac Exquis (2021)?

Shades of Darkness has top notes of Galbanum, Carnation, Artemisia and Fig Leaf, heart notes of Ylang-Ylang, Narcissus, Jasmine and Iris, a base of Incense, Tolu Balsam, Civet and Castoreum. Tabac Exquis (2021) has top notes of Cinnamon, heart notes of Tobacco, Dark Chocolate, Iris and Myrrh, a base of Cacao Pod, Tonka Bean, Benzoin and Ambroxan.